A trend of deploying a device at a user side is presented in an access network currently, the device deployed at a user terminal performs networking with a device of a central office through various technologies, and a technology adopted in the industry is the Ethernet technology. A virtual local area network technology is defined in the IEEE802.1Q standard, and a physical network is divided into multiple virtual local area networks to limit packet broadcasting and differentiate service bandwidth. When a new device is deployed, it is needed to configure VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network, virtual local area network) identifiers carried by different service packets of the device, so that the different service packets are correctly forwarded to corresponding virtual local area networks. For example, a DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer, digital subscriber line access multiplexer) device providing an Ethernet uplink, also provides a management service of remote access in addition to providing an xDSL (x Digital Subscriber Line, digital subscriber line) broadband service, therefore, it is needed to configure uplink VLAN identifiers of the two types of services for deployment of this device, and it is needed to configure an IP address of an interface according to the specific service.
Therefore, at least the following configuration needs to be made for deployment of one device:
1. an IP address of a management interface of the device;
2. a VLAN identifier carried by a service; and
3. configuration of the specific service.
An approach for deploying a new device is provided by the existing DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, dynamic host configuration protocol), and the DHCP technology is implemented in a mode of interaction between a server and a client. A DHCP server is installed in a network, and a newly deployed device serves as a client. The client broadcasts a DHCP request message automatically after accessing the network. After receiving the request message, the DHCP server sends information such as IP to the client according to a set rule, and the client completes its own configuration by using the information. An interaction process between the client and the DHCP server is shown in FIG. 1, where client 3 is the newly deployed client.
However, for a network that is divided into virtual local area networks, because a virtual local area network isolates a broadcast domain of a broadcast packet, the newly deployed client does not know a virtual local area network in which the DHCP server is located, and cannot obtain IP information of a management interface from the DHCP server, thereby causing a application limitation of the DHCP technology in a virtual local area network environment.